Forming questions
Type the missing word in each sentence. You hear each sentence read by a native voice.
¿ color quieres para tu casa?
What color do you want for your house?
The rule
Spanish does not use helper words like "do" or "does" to form a question. You change your intonation and wrap the sentence in question marks: ¿Tienes hambre? You also learn the question words (qué, dónde, cuándo, and others) that begin information questions.
The pattern
For a yes/no question, keep the normal verb form and use rising intonation.
| Statement | Question |
|---|---|
| Tienes hambre. | ¿Tienes hambre? |
The subject pronoun is often dropped because the verb ending already shows who acts. When you include it, it usually follows the verb: ¿Vives tú aquí? or ¿Vive Ana aquí?
Questions can begin with a question word:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| qué | what |
| quién | who |
| dónde | where |
| cuándo | when |
| cómo | how |
| por qué | why |
| cuánto/cuánta/cuántos/cuántas | how much / how many |
| cuál / cuáles | which |
These words carry an accent when they introduce a question. Por qué ("why") is two words with an accent. Porque ("because") is one word without an accent.
Examples
- ¿Tienes hambre?Are you hungry?
- ¿Vives tú cerca?Do you live nearby?
- ¿Dónde trabaja Carlos?Where does Carlos work?
- ¿Qué quieres comer?What do you want to eat?
- ¿Cuándo empieza la clase?When does the class start?
- ¿Cómo estás?How are you?
- ¿Cuántos hermanos tienes?How many siblings do you have?
- ¿Por qué no viniste? Porque estaba enfermo.Why didn't you come? Because I was sick.
Watch out
- Porque no viniste? ¿Por qué no viniste?Porque means "because." Use por qué, two words with an accent, for "why."
- Que quieres? ¿Qué quieres?Qué needs an accent when it means "what" in a question.
- ¿Dónde tú vives? ¿Dónde vives?Putting tú before the verb in a question is standard only in Caribbean Spanish; everywhere else the pronoun follows the verb or drops.
- ¿Cuánto años tienes? ¿Cuántos años tienes?Cuánto agrees in gender and number with the noun that follows it.